Out of Jurisdiction
by WeLostTouch
Summary: A young man is murdered only hours after graduating from university, but when the case seems to be too open and close Arthur Kirkland begins questioning whether justice is really being done. Alfred F. Jones does not know why he is dead or who could have killed him. Frankly he is more concerned about why he has to walk the earth as a ghost. M for later ch.s of the BL persuasion.
1. An Unexpected Ending

Chapter One: An Unexpected Ending

The graduation gown was no substitute for a proper coat in the late November evening air. Why he chose to graduate at the end of the Fall Semester was beyond him. There was no family there to congratulate him and only a few classmates had bothered to say goodbye before rushing off to their own waiting parties. He was alone in the back corner of the dark parking lot. At least that was what he thought.

12:53A.M.  
A white male was found dead in a university parking lot after an anonymous call to dispatchers. Two stab wounds to the upper left torso appear to be C.O.D.* Victim has defensive wounds on both arms and a split open lip indicating a struggle before death. The murder weapon was not found at the scene of the crime. Victim's wallet appeared to be untouched. No signs of robbery were present. Identification through state driver's license confirms victim to be Alfred F. Jones; D.O.B** July 4th, 1990.

1:12A.M.  
A suspicious person was found at a gas station three blocks away from the crime scene. Suspect showed signs of being in a recent fight. Officers retrieved a knife from the dumpster behind the gas station. The knife tested positive for large amounts of blood; may possibly be missing murder weapon. Suspect was taken in for questioning.

1:35A.M.  
Suspect is Lovino "Romano" Vargas. Vargas's younger brother runs the establishment where officers picked him up. Suspect claims that injuries were caused by an unknown male. He claims to have no knowledge of the murder. Vargas's cellular phone number matches that of the anonymous phone call received by dispatchers. The suspect has called for a lawyer.

Arthur looked over his notes for the fifth time that night. He had been working as an investigator for almost five years and still was not used murder cases. This victim struck a new cord with the young officer. Mr. Jones had just graduated and was about to start a life in something he must have worked hard for. To die at the beginning of that new life seemed intolerably sad.

"How long have you been on duty?" a warm voice asked. Arthur looked up from his notes and saw a pair of concerned eyes looking back at him. "You look exhausted."

"I'm alright, Lizzie." Arthur pinched the bridge of his nose and squeezed his eyes tight. "It's been a busy night is all."

Elizabeta sat down on the corner of his desk and offered him a cup of coffee. "I know you prefer tea, but this is all they have in the break room."

"Thank you." Arthur took the cup and blew away the steam emanating for the hot fluid. "Has the deceased's family been notified?"

"We've called his residence, but there was no response. When they went through his cell phone's contacts they found mostly take out numbers. The boy must not have had a home cooked meal in a long time. I know he was a college student and what not, but really… How could anyone eat out so much?"

"And his family?"

"Oh, yeah…" Elizabeta frowned. "We couldn't find any personal numbers. Just a couple professors and take out restaurants. Poor thing must have been a recluse."

"So no one knows he is dead…" Arthur looked at his notes one more time. "That's really too bad."

"It's such a waste of life." Lizzie sipped from her own mug. "He was a looker too."

Arthur shot her a look. "And I suppose if he were heinous you wouldn't mind so much?"

"That's not what I meant, Mr. Kirkland." she rolled her eyes defensively. "It's how I cope. Don't judge me too harshly."

"Aren't there better ways of coping than checking out the victims?"

"Ha-ha-ha. Very funny." Lizzie downed the rest of her coffee and pouted at him. "You're cranky when you're tired. But even a nanny goat like you deserves a break. You were supposed to clock out an hour ago." She snatched away his notes and tidy them up in her lap. "Go home and get a good night's sleep. We have the suspect in custody and no matter how you look at it a jury would easily convict him. Even if he lawyers up, as soon as the D.N.A. tests positive we'll be dragging him into court a guilty man."

"I don't know about that…" Arthur took his notes back and filed them into his briefcase. "It almost seems too easy. I've never had of such an open and shut murder case. The only thing that would make it easier would be if Vargas admitted to the crime."

"Well, count your blessings then. Confession or not we've got him."

"But I cannot help but feel there is more to this. How are the victim and suspect connected?" He began strumming his fingers on the desk as more questions formed in his head. "If nothing was missing from the victim, what was the motive? If robbery is out of the question, what? And why stabbing him in the heart if the two were not well acquainted? I'm sure Vargas's lawyer is going to point all of these facts out. Have we gotten a hold on the gas station's security footage yet?"

"The warrant is sitting on the judge's desk right now. It'll be signed in the morning." Lizzie put a hand on Arthur's shoulder. "You have a lot of questions, and those will be useful in this case, but right now you are going to leave those questions at this desk, go home, and draw yourself a hot bath, then go to bed. I'll see you tomorrow when you are fresh."

"Thank you, Lizzie." He smiled and rose from his chair with stiff joints. "I'll see you tomorrow then."

She waved goodbye with a friendly smile as he walked past scattered desks and cubicles in the less than organized office. The early morning air made his muscles tighten even more. Pulling his suit jacket a little closer, he scanned the lot for his brown Corolla. He jingled his keys as he walked weary-eyed to the familiar vehicle. It was not until he sat down in the worn leather seat that he realized how tired he really was. With a turn of the key, the car started with loud purr. When he turned in his seat to reverse out of his parking space, Arthur was astonished to find a young blonde man sitting in his back seat wearing a brown leather jacket and jeans.

*C.O.D.= Cause of Death  
**D.O.B.= Date of Birth


	2. A Shocking Appariton

Chapter 2: A Shocking Apparition

"Oh bullocks…" Arthur Kirkland tried to blink away the image, but the young man remained where he sat. "I must be more tired than I thought…"

Doing his best to ignore his exhaustion induced hallucination, Arthur backed out of his space and shifted into drive. He knew that it was not uncommon for people in his position to be haunted by certain cases. There were plenty of stories about seeing victims in dreams, so when Alfred F. Jones showed up in his car he did not think it was odd. However, every time he glanced behind his seat, Alfred would be sitting there with a dazed expression.

"I'm just tired, with one night's sleep, he'll be gone by morning."

When he reached his apartment building, Arthur turned all the way around in his seat to get a better look in his back seat. For a hallucination it sure was a convincing one. From his dirty blonde hair to the wrinkles in his white t-shirt; it looked like he could reach out his hand and take off the young man's glasses. Arthur waved his hand in front in front of the empty stare to provoke some sort of reaction. There was no response.

"Well there you have it…" He unbuckled his seatbelt. "You've finally lost it, Arthur Kirkland."

Stepping out of the car, he opened the back door and leaned in close. He looked the man up and down and came to the conclusion that he really was a perfect recreation of tonight's victim. With curiosity at its peak, Arthur stretched out a finger to poke the man's cheek.

"GAAH!"

Arthur was astounded that his hand went through the man's face, even more so when he snapped out of his daze yelling.

"Who are you? What are you doing?" The startled apparition looked confused. "Where am I?"

"My hand just went through…" Arthur shook his head in disbelief. " I'm dreaming. I fell asleep at my desk and now I'm dreaming that the victim is in my car. Y-yes, that's it."

"What!? Who is a victim" Alfred whipped his head back and forth. "Dude, are you drunk?"

"Of course I'm not, and you're not real!"

"You're not making any sense." Alfred tried to push past Arthur, but fell back in shock when his arm passed through the other man's body. "The fuck! Are you a ghost? Oh, hell no… I've been kidnapped by a ghost!"

Arthur blinked dumbstruck at the idiotic display of fear taking place in front of him. "I'm not the ghost, you are…"

"Dude, I can't be a ghost. If I were a ghost, that would have to mean that I am dead."

"You are."

"Are what?"

"Dead."

"…" The younger man's face dropped. And a thick tension filled the air. "…I'm dead? But how could that be?"

"I really shouldn't be discussing an active case with anyone," Arthur ran his fingers through his hair, "But since you are the victim- and this is a dream- maybe I will gain something from this." He took a deep breath. "You, Alfred Jones, were found dead in University of Sierra's parking lot shortly after your graduation ceremony. You had two deep stab wounds to the upper chest. That's how… Well, that's how you died."

Alfred's eyes widened. "No, that can't be right. I remember leaving the theater where the ceremony was going on. Then I was heading to my car and…"

"Yes?" Arthur caught himself holding his breath. He felt like he was on the cusp of finding an important clue to this murder. "What happened in the lot?"

"Damn it. The next thing I remember is being here."

Pinching the bridge of his nose, Arthur waved away any hope of epiphany. "I don't know what I was expecting. A dream wouldn't bring up any information that I did not already know."

"If anyone is dreaming, it's me." Alfred crossed his arms. A childish pout made his bottom lip quiver. "I can't be dead. I've got my whole life ahead of me."

Arthur dismissed him with another flick of his wrist. "Whatever, I'm exhausted."

"Hey, where are you going?"

Arthur slammed the door shut. A loud beep signaled the car locking behind him

"Hey!" Alfred leaned against the door's interior and slid right through it. "Holy! What just happened?"

He couldn't help but turn around. When he saw Alfred sprawled out on the ground, he sighed. "You a quite possible the saddest excuse for a ghost ever."

"I'm not a ghost!"

"Yes, you are." Arthur fumbled in his pockets for the building key.

"Hey, where am I supposed to go?"

"Don't care."

"You can't just leave me."

Arthur glanced over his shoulder in time to see what was undeniably the most doey-eyed-puppy-dog-face he had ever seen. Suddenly, Elizabeta's voice popped into his head. "Tsk… Look, you can come in if you'd like. This is a dream after all, so you'll be gone once I wake up."

"Thanks man!" Alfred ran up the stoop. "Well, it sounds like you already know who I am, so mind telling me who you are? After all I never spend the night with some one without knowing their name first."

"What a gentleman," Arthur rolled his eyes as he unlocked the buildings front door. "My name is Arthur Kirkland; I'm a detective working on your case."

"Kirkland… Dude! Your last name is like on all of my groceries. Your family must be loaded!"

"there is no relation, git." As the two climbed the three flights of stairs to his apartment, Alfred prattled on and on. When they reached his door, Arthur was having second thoughts about letting the specter follow him. "Look, I'm going straight to bed. You are welcome to the living room as long as you're not too loud."

Alfred let out a soft whistle as he observed the Spartan living space; there was a table and chair for dining and a couch sitting with it's back to the kitchen. "Woah, call the cops. I think you've been robbed."

"If you're going to make fun of my flat, you can leave now."

"Sorry, dude." The young man made himself comfortable by flopping down on the overstuffed sofa. He let out a small yelp when his lower body sank through the cushions.

"Good grief…" Arthur dragged his feet as he entered his bedroom. Face planting into the down comforter, he kicked off his shoes and pulled off his tie. He did not bother with the rest of his clothes.

"Nighty, night, Artie~"

"Bloody git…"


	3. A Surprising Proposal

Chapter 3: A Surprising Proposal

Grey morning rays of light ran in soft lines across the mattress pushing away the bonds of sleep that held Arthur captive in the strange land of dreams. One eye cracked open less than willing to acknowledge wakefulness. He vaguely recognized his surrounding when the feeling of being watched crept over him.

"Good morning, sunshine."

Arthur leapt out of his skin as he jerked toward the unfamiliar voice. Alfred was lounging on the bay windowsill laughing at the surprised look on his face. "What the hell are you doing here?"

"Dude, you're the one who said I can stay here."

Arthur's jaw dropped. "That was supposed to be a dream. You're dead."

"Yeah," the young man scratched the back of his neck. "I've been thinking about that." He hopped down from his seat and edged closer to the bed. "If I really died like you said I did, then that really does make me a ghost."

"As glad that I am that you have accepted that fact, why on earth are you haunting me?"

Alfred shrugged his shoulders. I don't know. I just woke up in your car. To be honest, it's not my first pick of places to haunt. I'd rather haunt a movie theater. No, wait! How cool would an amusement park be?"

Arthur felt the blood run from his face. For a moment he was sure his heart had stopped. "There is a… in my… How?"

"You okay, dude?" Alfred leaned in close to his face. "You don't look too hot."

"There is a ghost in my bedroom!" Arthur yelled when he found his words. "The ghost of a murder victim at that! How do you think I'm feeling?"

Alfred put his hands up with open palms. "Chill out, man. If anyone should be freaking out right now, it's me. I died last night and I don't even know when, why, or how."

There was no come back that came to mind. The young man's situation was sad indeed. He would never see his hard work bear fruit or enjoy the simple pleasures of a fulfilled life. An apology began to form on his tongue, but the loud chirping of his bedside alarm clock interrupted.

"We can discuss this some other time." He pushed himself to the edge of the bed. "I have to get ready for work."

"You mean detective work?" Alfred's eye grew wide with excitement. "Can I come with you?"

"No, that's completely out of the question. I will never be able to get any work done if an idiot like you is buzzing around the office."

"Aw, but it's my murder," he whined.

"What if somebody sees you?" Arthur retorted. "How do think everyone is going to react to seeing a dead victim walking into the station? It would be more than problematic."

"What make you think they'll all be able to see me? Not everyone can see ghosts. Haven't you seen it in the movies?"

Arthur was not about to dignify that with an answer.

"Please?" The puppy dog face returned with a vengeance. "I promise not to get in the way."

The standoff began. Blue eyes glistened with hope while green fought to hide any weakness. Both man sat across from each other unyielding. Arthur felt his resolve dwindling as the clock ticked closer to his shift's start time. He had to put his foot down now or lose all together. "No means no. I will not having you roaming about the office. End of story."

That seemed to slap the puppy right out of the other's face. The younger man's expression changed from innocent pleading to a much darker defiant look. "And how do you plan on stopping me?"

Arthur bit his lip unsure how to answer. "I won't take you with me."

A smirk tilted the edge of Alfred's lips upward. "Challenge accepted."

That was all he said before walking out the bedroom door. A sense of alarm tightened in Arthur's chest. He did not know too much about the dead, but he was pretty sure he did not want a pissed of ghost in his apartment. Peeking around his doorframe, he glimpsed the young blonde stretching out across his sofa, resting his feet on the coffee table. Letting a sigh of relief, Arthur got to getting ready for work.

Once dressed, there was no time for breakfast. Arthur walked into the living room doing his best not to look at the ghost who had moved from his seat to beside the front door. Avoiding eye contact, Arthur pushed the door open and turned back to lock it behind him. His heart gave a little start when he saw Alfred leaning against the wall across the hall from him. He walked past the man without acknowledgement, but the soft tapping of footsteps out of time with his own let him know that he was being followed.

When he spotted his car from the apartment building's stoop, he all but ran for the driver's door. Pulling his seat belt across him, turning the key in the ignition, and throwing the gear into reverse, Arthur thought he had him until he checked over his shoulder as he pulled from his parking space. Alfred was sitting in the back again, but this time he was trying- more like failing- to stifle a smile. Unwilling to admit defeat just yet, Arthur drove the rest of the way to work without glancing behind him. The silent ride in the morning was something he usually enjoyed however knowing there was someone else in the car that did not belong made the fifteen minute commute uncomfortable.

It was not until he rolled into his designated parking space that Arthur raised the white flag. "Look, you can come in if you must, but I don't want you getting in the way of work. If anyone can see you, I insist you make yourself scarce."

Alfred smiled in triumph. "Whatever. You worry too much. I'm not a kid being turned loose in a toy store. I can behave myself."

"See to it that you do."

…

He was like a child let loose in a toy store. Arthur counted it good fortune that no one noticed the taller blonde following him to his desk, but he wished he could share in the same luxury. Alfred was curious about everything happening around him. When a file came in, he wanted to know what it was. If Arthur opened an e-mail, he would be leaning over his shoulder trying to read its contents. At one point the ghost got bored and decided to test who could or could not see him by making random faces at different people working in their cubicles. Nobody gave him the response that he was looking for.

"I thought you said you would behave," Arthur muttered when the blonde sat on the edge of his desk. "You're being a pest."

"What do you mean? They don't mind. Besides, I'm BORED!" The younger man made a pretend pistol using his hand and pointed at his head. "Aren't you guys supposed to be doing some sort of cool sleuthing or something?"

Arthur sighed. "A lot of my work requires a certain amount of paper work be done."

"BORING!" Alfred pulled his imaginary trigger and fell to the ground as if he died. "I didn't know you could die twice, but you've managed the impossible, Artie."

"Shut up, I don't need-"

"Good morning, Arthur." Elizabeta was leaning against the wall of his cubicle. "Who are you talking to?"

"Whoa! Who's the babe?"

Arthur ignored the outburst that Lizzie obviously did not hear. "I was just talking out loud; getting my thoughts out there."

"Oh, really?" Lizzie had worked with him for a few years and knew his habits better than he did. Thinking out loud was not one of them. "Well, Vargas decided to lawyer up. The Beilschmidt brothers are defending him. I hope you brought your aspirin with you. We'll need it."

"They are here right now?"

"They're in interrogation room two. Roderich wants us to play good cop bad cop." Lizzie smiled. "I'll go in first and play bad cop. Gil knows me to well to fall for anything less."

"I'll be in shortly."

When she left, Alfred looked from her back to him a few times. "Is she your partner?"

"Yes, I've worked with Elizabeta since I joined on here." Arthur pulled out the man's case file.

"Have you guys done it?"

"Excuse me?!" Arthur dropped the file causing papers to flood his floor space. A couple people stopped to look at him to whom he smiled weakly and waved. "I have never done anything inappropriate with her. We have a strictly professional relationship."

"Is that so?" Alfred peeked around at some of the litter. "So you've only thought about doing her?"

"No, not in the least." He began picking up individual papers and arranging them in the right order. "She is married, and to my boss none the less. I admit Lizzie is a lovely woman, but I have never looked at her more than a friendly coworker. That is all."

Alfred did not reply. Arthur followed the young man's gaze to find a couple of the autopsy photos had also slipped out. He quickly snatched them up and shoved them in with the rest of the case. It was too late though.

"That was me?" Alfred asked, shock plainly written on his face. "That was, wasn't it?"

"…It was." Arthur knew there was no use lying. There was nothing wrong with the face in the pictures aside from a couple cut around the lips and above the eye. The body clearly belonged to Alfred F. Jones.

"So I guess I did die…" Alfred made a strange noise much like a cross between a chuckle and choking. "Looks like you were right."

"Arthur!" Elizabeta had left the interrogation room and was waving for him to come take his turn.

"Maybe you should stay here," Arthur suggested. "This won't take long."

Alfred stood up straight. "No, I want to see the guy that did this."

Arthur recognized the look in the man's face from earlier. He couldn't stop him from following. Lizzie was standing in the way when they reached the door. "I got them started. Gil is the same pain in the ass he always is. His brother is as stubborn as ever. Good luck."

He nodded and took a deep breath before opening the door.

"Don't bother pulling that crap!" the louder Beilschmidt started. "We know you two are going to do that good cop bad cop bullshit. Roderich used the same tactics the last time we were here and the two times before that."

"Gilbert, be quiet." The younger brother stood to shake Arthur's hand. "We have advised our client to remain silent unless we feel the questions are suitable for answering."

The older and louder brother was an albino named Gilbert Beilschmidt. His brother, Ludwig was a tall blonde with broad shoulders and intimidating eyes. They both wore matching black suits with red ties. Normally Arthur would not have to deal with them unless some big shot was brought into custody. Why they were defending a client who could not possibly pay their legal fees was unknown.

"I wouldn't expect anything less from you, Ludwig."

Arthur took his seat on the other side of the table. Lovino Vargas was sitting between the two lawyers. He was a small man in comparison to his council. He had brown hair with a curl sticking out defiantly. From the prickly look about him, the man was torn between fear and anger.

"We should just cut to the chase then, shall we?"

"Finally!" Gilbert leaned back in his seat and laced his fingers behind his head. "Lizzie was no help at all. Our client is innocent. Agreed? Good. Have a nice day."

"Not so fast, Mr. Beilschmidt." Arthur never did like dealing with Gilbert. His brother was a reasonable man, but the albino never played well with others. "With the amount of evidence we have collected, your client will be facing a long prison sentence for sure."

"I didn't do it damn it!" the Italian blurted out before he could be stopped. Ludwig placed a hand on the man's shoulder to keep him quiet.

"My client means that he claims innocence, and we are certain the jury will side with us if the case reaches court."

"Artie…"

"We have the test results back from the clothes you were wearing that night, Mr. Vargas." Arthur flipped through his file. "We found traces of the victim's blood on your shirt."

"Arthur…"

"Our client was working with his brother that evening. Later his was attacked by an unknown assailant." Gilbert Beilschmidt shrugged his shoulders. "Could be the same guy that killed your guy assaulted our client."

"The anonymous call to dispatchers came from your client's phone."

"Arthur."

"So the man used Mr. Vargas's phone to make the call. The voice that dispatchers heard doesn't match our clients anyway."

"The caller used a device to alter his voice. Our audio guys are working on reversing the effects right now."

Ludwig began to say something, but Alfred's shout for attention drowned him out. "Arthur, he didn't do it!"

Arthur blinked stupidly. "Excuse me?"

"We're positive that your men will find that the deciphered voice also will not match our client's."

"Arthur this guy couldn't have possibly killed me. Look at him. I'm almost twice his size." Alfred pulled his arm free of his jacket's sleeve and flexed. "I work out. I could bench press this guy."

"He had the knife." Arthur said this while fixing his focus on Alfred hoping he would understand the response was as much for him as the lawyers. "We found the murder weapon in the dumpster behind your establishment. The prints we recovered are a match to Mr. Vargas."

"Easy enough to fake. Our client was knocked unconscious." Gilbert patted Lovino on the back. "After knocking Lovi out cold the man could have planted the prints while our client could not resist."

"Trust me, Arthur. This guy didn't do it." Alfred pointed at the case file. "I've never met this guy in my life. Why would he want me dead? This guy is innocent."

Arthur had enough of Alfred's commentary. He pulled out the picture of the corpse. "This was Alfred F. Jones. He was found dead after just graduating. We found the knife that killed him in a dumpster where you worked after receiving a call from your cell phone. His blood was on your shirt. Tell me what kind of jury will find you innocent."

Lovino Vargas's eyes grew wide and the blood drained from his face when he saw the pictures of the dead man. "I think I'm going to be sick." And then he was.

"My suit!" Gilbert stood from his seat and shook his pant leg.

Ludwig rubbed the sick man's back in soft circles. "Is that the result you were looking for?" he hissed, eyes narrow. "We've had enough of this. If you want to question us any further, call us when you have an arrest warrant."

The three men shuffled out of the room leaving only Alfred and Arthur. Alfred walked around the table. "I told you he didn't do it. He tossed his cookies just looking at the pictures. I'm sure he'd die if he saw the real thing."

"This is disturbing…" Arthur frowned. "The evidence points to him, but…"

"Arthur, I want to find him." Alfred had a serious expression different than the obstinate look he used earlier. There was a sincere desire burning behind his blue eyes. "I want to know who really did this to me. I don't want someone else locked away while the bad guy goes unpunished. The good guys are always supposed to win. Promise me you'll find him."

"Alfred, that could take time. Some cases take years, even decades to be solved."

"I'll help. I'll do anything. I'll go where you can't. I'll spy. I'll stake out. I'll do _anything!_"

"That's-"

"What happened in here?" Elizabeta had thrown the door open. "I'll admit the look on Gil's face was priceless, but I thought I was supposed to be bad cop. Hard ball really isn't your strong suit."

"He's not the guy we're looking for, Lizzie." Arthur glanced over at Alfred before continuing. "The man does not have the stomach for it. I will not put the wrong man behind bars while a murderer walks free. We have to find the right guy."

Elizabeta's face fell. "But all the evidence points to him. It's a slam dunk case."

"We'll just have to look closer, Lizzie. He did not do it." Arthur slipped past her through the door. "I'm going to take a look at his place of residence for any leads."

He heard Alfred chasing after him as Arthur power walked to his car. "Thanks, Artie."

"Shut up. You better keep out of my way on this investigation." Arthur turned to look at the young man. "I'll find the man who killed you, but you'll have to do as I say."

"Of course," Alfred was beaming. "Whatever you say boss."

"For now I want you on your best behavior. Tell me if you remember anything useful." He unlocked the car. "For god's sake sit in the front seat. You make me nervous when you're behind me."

* * *

**I decided to make this one extra long to atone for the fact that I have been inactive for a while. Sorry about that. ^_^'''**


End file.
